Event Details

This year will mark the second annual Knights' Tower Tour, offering an extraordinary opportunity to journey up into the Tower and view our Nation's capital from this spectacular vantage point. Tour opportunities are available Wednesday September 3 through Friday September 5, 2014. Visitors will ascend the Tower elevator to the observation level where they can take in spectacular views in all four directions. To take advantage of this unique experience, sign up for one of the available tour times.

The Basilica offers ample free parking and is walking distance from the Brookland-CUA Metro Station on Metro's Red Line.

Important Information: A maximum of four (4) tickets may be reserved per person.

Arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled tour time and check in on the Basilica’s lower level, signs will direct you to the check-in location. If you arrive later than your scheduled tour time, accommodation on a later tour is on a first come first served basis and cannot be guaranteed.

Visitors must be able to climb 85 steps to reach the Tower Elevator, please ensure you are in good physical condition before signing up for this opportunity. Children are permitted but parents should consider the stairs in their decision to bring younger children along. Strollers are not permitted into the Tower and no storage is available at the Basilica.

Use of the Tower elevator is required to ascend to the observation level, visitors who experience claustrophobia, those who do not like elevators, or anyone who suffers from a condition where riding in an enclosed elevator may be uncomfortable should not sign up for a tour.

Food and drink are not permitted.

Bags, suitcases, camera cases, large purses or other bulky items are not permitted.

Photography is allowed but the use of tripods is not permitted.

Prohibited items cannot be stored, please leave the items in your vehicle or leave them home.

Organizer

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the largest Roman Catholic church in the United States and North America, and is one of the ten largest churches in the world.

Fulfilling its mission, the Basilica is a place of worship, pilgrimage, evangelization and reconciliation.Designated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as a National Sanctuary of Prayer and Pilgrimage, the Basilica is the nation’s preeminent Marian shrine, dedicated to the patroness of the United States—the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception. It is oftentimes affectionately referred to as America’s Catholic Church.

Visited by Saint John Paul II, Blessed Mother Teresa, and Pope Benedict XVI, among others, the Basilica, though distinctly American, rivals the great sanctuaries of Europe and the world.